


conscientiae animi

by panda013 (Amiria_Raven)



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, F/M, Gabriel introspection, Identity Reveal, Suspense, angsty father/son relationship, in which gabe the babe is totally hawkmoth, inspired by Jackady
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 07:15:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6185524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amiria_Raven/pseuds/panda013
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Miraculous were the only way.</p><p>And he had tried oh, so hard to get them. With every akuma he sent out, every person he gave powers to and orders for the Miraculous, he broke a little bit inside. But it was for his family, and he would do anything for them to be reunited once more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. inceptum finis

**Author's Note:**

> CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR JACKADY.  
> You have been warned.
> 
> This is not full of fluff. It's not Tikki's New Friend, so don't expect it to be as happy-go-lucky or sweet.

Gabriel stared at Chat Noir’s ring when the hero shook his hand.

_How easy it would be to just take it…but Ladybug is here, and she wouldn’t be so easy…_

With an internal grimace, the pain of postponing his plans to save _her_ , he released the black glove of the hero. And then Chat Noir cheekily departed, as he was wont to do, and Gabriel was left with just Ladybug.

Ladybug…who held an admiration for his son. His perfect, darling Adrien.

His chest squeezed painfully, and he couldn’t remember the words that passed between them, but then Ladybug was gone and he was left to ponder all the chances he’d had…the chances he’d _missed_. And now, the chance he could seize, a way to lure Ladybug to him and steal her Miraculous away, the chance…he stopped, his mind awhirl as he realized the implications.

In order to do so…he’d have to _use_ Adrien.

His beloved child. The son that they had raised together, the one they had praised and loved and nurtured before she was just… _gone_. And now, to save her, to bring her back, he had to use his _son_.

The Miraculous were the only way.

And he had tried oh, so hard to get them. With every akuma he sent out, every person he gave powers to and orders for the Miraculous, he broke a little bit inside. But it was for his _family_ , and he would do anything for them to be reunited once more.

But why did it have to be like this? The only weakness he had unearthed in Ladybug…why did it have to be that? She had kept her secret identity safe and secure, kept it so well hidden that even he had been unable to find her out. He knew, by now, that she held a certain amount of disdain for the Bourgeois girl, but aside from that he had no leads. She protected everyone, regardless of whether they were in the right or the wrong. But now, the chink in her armor had revealed a way to get at her, to get to her…

…and it just _had_ to be his _son_.

Gabriel was numb as he made his way down from the roof.

Adrien was his pride and joy.

Maybe…maybe he didn’t always show it. That was certainly true enough, but he was often busy trying to gather the Miraculous. To bring Adrien’s mother back to them. He was _in the right_ , Gabriel _knew_ he was…but every moment he lost with his son was a gaping hole, staring back at him now that his precious child was the way to get what he needed.

Luring Ladybug through her crush on Adrien would lure Chat Noir in his desire to protect the superheroine.

But… _Adrien_.

The guilt, then. It swamped him, and Gabriel stumbled, barely catching himself against the wall as it flooded him, racing through his veins like flames. His head was spinning, his chest constricting, and the guilt was rendering him unable to think, unable to _breathe_ , because _how on earth_ was he considering using, possibly _hurting_ his only living reminder of _her_ just to attract a girl with pigtails?

It was to get her back. Yes.

Getting his wife, his love back. Surely Adrien, who missed her just as much, would understand? Maybe…maybe Gabriel could _talk_ to his son, convince him that he needed to do something.

He wouldn’t tell him the whole plan. He wouldn’t mention that he needed to steal Ladybug’s magic. He wouldn’t tell Adrien that he was Le Papillon. He _couldn’t_.

He was in the right—Gabriel _swore_ he was in the right—but he was so, so ashamed.

“I’m sorry, son,” he managed, forcing himself to keep moving. He had to see Adrien, to show him he _cared_ , before doing something that would inevitably hurt the boy. “I’m doing this for us, Adrien…for all three of us. So we can be _together_ again.”

It didn’t explain the tears coursing down his cheeks.

It didn’t explain the guilt that was tearing him apart at the seams.

It didn’t explain the nagging fear that this wouldn’t work, that his plans would fail.

It didn’t explain why somehow he felt that his love just wasn’t enough.

But he had to try. For Adrien. For _her_. For their _family_.

If only it was as easy to turn back time as it was to feel the pinpricks of guilt crawling through his skin, up his spine, infusing tendrils of hate and fear and anxiety into his very soul. But if time travel was so easy, he would have chosen that option a long, long time ago, and it never would have come to this.

He didn’t realize when he left the studio, or when he stumbled through the doors of his home. He noticed when he passed the portrait of he and Adrien on the stairs, however, and paused.

His heart clenched.

Gabriel remembered the smiling boy from the next picture, one with his mother. He remembered the cheerful laughter that filled their home, and the playful banter from the dinner table each night. The energetic accounts of Adrien’s day at his piano lessons, or at fencing, or wherever his mother had taken him while Gabriel had been working. But…when had that warm smile, the one that held the sun in its grasp, faded into the cold darkness in the photo that the two of them had taken?

After she was gone, of course…but when had it fallen so far?

 _When was the last time_ , Gabriel suddenly wondered, blood running cold, _that I saw Adrien actually smiling?_

Smiling for a camera was one thing. When was the last time he had seen Adrien smiling out of joy, or laughter, or just smiling because he was so happy he couldn’t contain himself anymore? The son Gabriel remembered was all of that, and more. But now…?

He took the stairs three at a time, and Adrien’s door loomed before him in moments. He wasn’t sure what he was about to do, but he had to make sure Adrien was there. He had to check on his son because his one-track mind had led to neglect. He knew it now, more than ever, and he was determined to make up for it.

_What, so I can use him to get to Ladybug without feeling so guilty?_

Gabriel tossed the thought aside, barely pausing to compose himself before he pushed open Adrien’s bedroom doors. He strode purposefully to Adrien’s side, saw the surprise in his features and watched, with dread, as his son’s expression morphed into one of… _hurt_?

He couldn’t look any longer, couldn’t bear to see the consequences of his neglect, so Gabriel surged forward and tugged his son into his embrace.

He squeezed Adrien, pulling him tightly into his arms. The feeling of his warm, solid form, rigid from shock, sent pain through Gabriel’s form. There was so much…so much to make up for, to apologize for, and he didn’t know where to start. He wanted to cry when Adrien’s hesitant hands came up to grip his upper arms.

It wasn’t a proper hug, not like his cheerful ball of sunshine would have given him just a few years before. And the fearful part of him suspected that, if he went through with the horrendous plan that was forming in his head, he may never get one of his son’s true hugs again. But then again, if he _did_ go through with the plan and _succeeded_ …Adrien would show him those carefree smiles he used to. He’d once again hear the tinkling laughter of his wife and child in the halls, get to listen to the way Adrien would gush about his day—now with stories about his school friends, who Gabriel had shunned for fear of hurting Adrien, of making Adrien a target for one of his inconsolable akumas.

For Adrien’s smile.

He was doing this for Adrien’s smile.

He lifted his head and looked to the hand that was clenching his bicep, not painfully so, and suddenly his blood ran cold.

On Adrien’s finger was a silver ring.

The color was different, but the shape and size was unmistakable. Gabriel would know, because he’d seen the ring not an hour ago, atop the roof of a TV station on the finger of none other than Chat Noir.

“I didn’t know…you had a ring,” Gabriel chose his words carefully, staring at the incriminating silver band.

“That’s not the only thing you’ve never noticed about me,” the nearly petulant tone made Gabriel’s heart bottom out. But Adrien was right. Gabriel had missed so, so much. Time with his son was sacrificed so that he could torment those who were suffering, so he could gather the Miraculous and bring his beloved back to them.

 _I’m doing it for us_ , he told himself.

“I assure you that this will all be over soon,” he found himself saying, even as he watched his son turn to gaze forlornly out of the windows to his room. A few more moments of silence passed, and Gabriel admired his perfect, perfect son. His gaze strayed to the sliver of silver on Adrien’s finger, and a new idea formed.

He would give the events of today some time to settle. Tomorrow would be a good day to draw Adrien into the fold, to implore him.

 _This is for our family_.

* * *

 

Gabriel’s plan was executed carefully, as though he was treading across a thin wire over a gaping chasm.

He made sure to eat dinner with Adrien. The small talk there was hard, but he managed to get something about eating lunch with his friends from school. Gabriel schooled his expression at Adrien’s mention of the Bubbler—no, of _Nino_ , his new best friend. And then he mentioned a name— _Marinette_ —that intrigued Gabriel. That was the name of the girl from the hat contest, was it not?

She was a determined sort. She reminded him, in some ways, of his beloved wife. As soon as his family was together again, Gabriel decided that Adrien would bring his friends over for dinner. That Nino boy, this Marinette girl, and whoever the other girl was. The one that ran the Ladyblog, if he remembered correctly. They would be the first to get the honor of eating with the family, reunited again as if they had never been torn apart. He thought Adrien would like that.

And after that, Gabriel stood.

“There’s something I need to talk to you about, son,” he managed.

 _I’m doing this for us_.


	2. nolens volens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "What...what are you talking about, père?" Adrien's voice trembled as the portrait of his mother in the gallery slid aside to reveal a dark opening. He stared at the darkness in confusion, and almost, his father thought, a twinge of fear. "What's a Miraculous have to do with maman?"
> 
> "Everything," Gabriel's voice was dark, and Adrien felt a shudder run up his spine as the man gently but urgently propelled him into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to more father-son angst and stuff. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Remember to drop by my tumblr at panda013! :)

“What is it, père?” the blond boy quirked an eyebrow.

“I’ve been working on an…ongoing project. I’ve been planning it for the last several years, and I’ve only recently started to execute the plans.”

He wasn’t sure how to broach the subject. He couldn’t directly tell him that he knew about the ring, and what it really was. Not right away. He had to lead into it, draw Adrien’s trust and use that to his advantage.

 _No, it’s not as bad as it sounds. It’s for our family. He’ll understand_.

The older man only wished he could completely believe that his cause was as benevolent as he had always imagined. It was for the sake of his family, of reuniting with his dearest wife and seeing the joy spreading across his darling son’s features for the first time in all the years since _she_ had been lost. There was nothing he wanted more than to set things back to the way they were when sunshine warmed his life.

Before he had realized it, Gabriel had already led Adrien to the gallery doors. They were already standing in front of the portrait of the most beautiful woman Gabriel had ever known. Adrien was her spitting image, a constant reminder of all that Gabriel had lost and all that he had neglected in pursuit of what was missing. The hole in his heart gave a painful twinge as he realized once more just how much he’d missed out on.

 _Missing that Chat Noir and his Miraculous was under my very roof…NO_.

He shook his head. He couldn’t—no, he _wouldn’t_ —think of Adrien and his ring like that.

No matter what Adrien had done when Gabriel had been otherwise occupied, he was still the pride and joy of the Agreste family.

And as he stood near the portrait of his mother, the similarities were striking, even more than the father had ever realized. Gabriel took a few moments to look between the two, before he noticed a sudden shift in the boy’s demeanor.

“Are you renovating the gallery?” there was a fearful sound in Adrien’s question, and Gabriel was almost shocked to see Adrien inching, almost protectively, between the older man and the golden portrait.

“I’ve already done what little renovating I needed,” he said slowly, and he saw Adrien’s shoulders visibly relax. His green eyes flicked towards his mother’s portrait, and suddenly it hit Gabriel like a knife through the heart.

His precious golden child thought that he wanted to get rid of his beloved’s portrait.

 _Why would I get rid of her portrait when we’re bringing her home, son?_ His traitorous mind whispered—but he silently hushed it. It was not yet the time to reveal what his plans were, not time to completely spill his identity, his knowledge of Adrien’s double life.

 _All it costs you is your freedom, son, and betraying that girl with the yo-yo_.

Gabriel closed his eyes momentarily, against the relieved but once more confused gaze of his teenage son and against the whispering, cunning voice that resonated within his skull. The voice that kept him on track when he had the audacity to _doubt_ his plans to bring her back to him.

“If that’s not it…then why are we here?” Adrien cocked his head to the side, green eyes perplexed. Gabriel spotted some of Chat Noir’s cheek in the furrow of his son’s brow and the way his eyebrow lifted with his question.

“Your mother,” Gabriel said slowly, reaching out a hand to gently touch the frame of the life-sized portrait. “I wanted to talk about your mother.”

“What about her…?”

Gabriel glanced at Adrien when he noticed the absolute ice in the boy’s tone. His green eyes were fierce—every bit Chat Noir. Even if Gabriel was still trying to deny his son’s secret, he couldn’t help but see all the similarities. But now his eyes were absolutely piercing, as if daring Gabriel to speak one more word about the mother he had lost years prior.

Wait…did he…of course he did. Of course he blamed Gabriel.

 _All the more reason to use him to get to Ladybug_.

“There were always secrets,” Gabriel forced out, staring into the gorgeous green eyes of the woman in the portrait, cold replicas of the true splendor of his wife’s magnificent eyes. “Everyone has secrets, even in the most perfect marriage.”

“What…” Adrien began, but he didn’t finish, and Gabriel could see the gears turning in his head. Oh, what wicked things would that young mind conjure up next?

 _Don’t worry, son. I promise, this will be other soon and we’ll all be together again_.

“Even those who have the Miraculous have secrets,” his voice was cool, calm, almost detached, even though his heart squeezed painfully in his chest. “In fact, it’s probably those who hold the Miraculous that have the most secrets to keep.”

He would know. And Adrien did too, judging by the way he stiffened as Gabriel reached past him to press a well-hidden button incorporated into his wife’s portrait.

"What...what are you talking about, père?" Adrien's voice trembled as the portrait of his mother in the gallery slid aside to reveal a dark opening. He stared at the darkness in confusion, and almost, his father thought, a twinge of fear. "What's a Miraculous have to do with maman?"

"Everything," Gabriel's voice was dark, and Adrien felt a shudder run up his spine as the man gently but urgently propelled him into the darkness. “The Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir are the only ways to bring her back to us, Adrien. With the power of both of the luck-based Miraculous, there is nothing that can’t be done.”

“I don’t…I don’t understand,” Adrien tried to exit, but Gabriel blocked his path.

_I’m sorry, my precious son, but this is the only way. You HAVE to help me bring Ladybug here. We have set our family straight and bring it back to the way it should have always been. It will be over soon, my darling child._

“The Miraculous, Adrien,” Gabriel’s voice was soft, but cool. “We can bring your mother back with the power of the Miraculous that Ladybug and Chat Noir possess.”

Adrien’s face was a strange mix of horror and disbelief. “N-no. They can’t—there’s _nothing_ that can do that! Maman’s _gone_ , père, and we _can’t_ bring her back!”

 _How DARE he?! How dare he undermine the power I’ve sought to gain for so long_!

Gabriel nearly growled and shook his head roughly—he couldn’t be angry with Adrien. He had been… _poisoned_ by whatever they called the kwami associated with his ring. He had been taught that he had to fight against Le Papillon and those who tried to take the Miraculous from himself or from Ladybug. It wasn’t entirely his fault that he wasn’t amenable to Gabriel’s insinuation.

 _I will just have to convince him_.

“It _can_ , Adrien,” he assured the boy, using the softest tones he could muster. His son, his sweet boy, was already too fearful, too defensive. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t Adrien’s fault. “Of course it can. The Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir, when together, have power that is nearly limitless. The power of luck combines, and the very nature of light and dark, of light and death, is at the ultimate mercy of the one who wields them.”

“I don’t…please, stop talking like this,” Adrien took a step back. His motion stirred Gabriel’s butterflies, the ones who aided him in all his endeavors. The sudden rustling sound of their delicate wings took him by surprise and he jumped, peering around in the darkness. There was movement, and his eyes followed some of them, but even in the dark, Gabriel could see that Adrien was having trouble making out just what he was looking at. “Père, I don’t like where you’re going with this. Ladybug and Chat Noir _need_ their Miraculous to save Paris. We can’t…they can’t…it can’t bring maman back, no matter how much you want it to!”

“You’re still young, Adrien, my son,” Gabriel made sure the portrait slid closed. Once he was sure that Adrien would not find the exit again without his help, he strode purposely to the center of the room, hands clasped behind his back. His companions fluttered around him and away, making a path for him to walk. "There are many things you have yet to learn…but we still have time to fix that _. Transformè moi_!"

Adrien stumbled back with a gasp as a familiar dark purple light shrouded the room, and before him stood a man in all dark clothes, in a dark room full of... _white butterflies_...?

And then came the dread. It filled his chest and the pit of his stomach with nausea as Le Papillon stared back at him from where his father once stood, and from within the mask, the voice--his father's voice, tainted with desperation, pleaded, "Everything is for your mother. Everything that I have done so far…and everything that will be done. So...join me, _Chat Noir_."

It felt like ice was running through his veins as his father—as his _enemy_ —implored him.

“W-what are you…” Adrien’s voice fizzled out and died, his throat dry and constricting as he tried to back up even farther. His shoulders bumped into the door of the room, but no matter how his fingers scrabbled behind him, he couldn’t find out how to pry the door open. “L-let me out of here!”

“Don’t you want to see your mother?”

That voice, coming from behind a mask, was something Adrien had never imagined he’d have to deal with. He thought he’d had issues with his father before, but the truth of the matter was even worse.

Gabriel—Le Papillon, now, he had to remind himself—watched the way the young blond’s fingers scrabbled desperately for a release. He wouldn’t find it, but Le Papillon still wanted him away from the door. He _needed_ the boy’s help, willingly or not…

_No, Adrien will join me. Adrien will want this as much as I do once he really understands what I’m doing._

“Don’t you want to see her again, Adrien?” the older Miraculous wielder repeated himself, holding out his hands. White butterflies fluttered around him, a nearly protective swarm. “With your Miraculous, and Ladybug’s, we could.”

“Do you even realize what you’re doing?” his voice was high, shaking. That wasn’t what Gabriel wanted, and his brows furrowed. Adrien wasn’t taking this as well as he had hoped he would. “Do you realize how many people you’ve been hurting?”

“It’s for you, Adrien,” the older man drew himself to his full height, towering above his young teenage son. “For you, and our family. We can go back to what we should have been. Your mother will be back with us, Adrien. Don’t you want to see her again?”

“ _Stop saying that!_ ” Adrien’s voice was sharp, his words coming in a rush of emotion. If only it weren’t for the Miraculous, Le Papillon could use that— _no, no, no, no, we’re not using my son that way, I refuse!_ —Gabriel squeezed his eyes closed against the image. But then Adrien was speaking again, his voice loud and angry. “Of course I want to see her again! But I _can’t_! You can’t _do_ this, père, you can’t go on hurting people and expecting it to be okay!”

Gabriel’s anger boiled, but he kept it contained.

_Adrien has been poisoned by Ladybug and by his kwami. He wants to see her, he admitted to it! He just has certain…qualms…with all of the akumas. I can still convince him._

“I would have no need to prey on those who are hurting if I had the Miraculous,” he used one of his calmest voices, though he felt that he might be starting to show his irritation. There was an edge to it, so he endeavored to soften his tones. “If Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous were in my possession, I wouldn’t have to send my akumas out to empower their chosen champion. And with the two most powerful Miraculous, there is nothing that can’t be accomplished.”

Adrien’s hands were sweaty, his skin clammy. This was definitely not the kind of conversation he’d imagined when his father said he wanted to talk, and it was certainly one he never wanted to have. It made his skin crawl.

And the implications of the man’s words, his nausea rose to new heights.

“You’re saying it’s _my_ fault so many people have been hurt?” he bit out, though he wished immediately after saying it that he hadn’t.

“No!” the voice from his shirt, which he’d been too terrified to pay attention to, finally caught Adrien’s attention. His wide, horrified green eyes flicked down to meet those of Plagg, and the kwami’s gaze was equal parts frenzied and pitying. “Kid, it’s not your fault, you can’t let him get to you! You’re in the right!”

“Not your fault, never _yours_ , Adrien,” Gabriel watched the boy stiffen and look up from his shirt.

_Ah. That kwami must be hiding there…_

“No…it’s because of what they _taught_ you, when you started using the Miraculous. They don’t want the powers to be used, not because it won’t succeed but because it _will_. It’s them that have kept us from reuniting with your mother for so long.”

“Stop lying to me!” Adrien finally snapped, his voice a shout. “She’s _gone_ , and you can’t keep hurting people and believing that it’s okay because you’re telling yourself it’s all for her, or me, or the _family_! Stop being so _selfish_!”

Selfish?

_Selfish…?_

If that’s how the ungrateful boy saw it, then he had no qualms using his original plan. He held out both hands and the force of his fury drew the white butterflies to him in droves. Le Papillon watched with a sense of detachment as the blond boy sucked in a breath and pressed himself further back against the door. For all the good it did him.

_This is for us, Adrien._

As the butterflies perched on him, his energy imbued them. The purple that permeated their once pristine wings was familiar for Le Papillon and his akumas. He smiled as they fluttered around him.

“I tried to ask for your help nicely, my son,” his voice was darker, and Adrien swatted at the few akumas that had entered his immediate vicinity. But there were soon too many surrounding him, and his yelps of distress were only accentuated by a smaller disgruntled voice.

_The kwami that poisoned him...if I get the kwami away from him, he won’t be able to escape…_

“Bring me the kwami,” his voice carried in the large, open chamber, and Adrien’s distressed utterings became shouts as they fought against the butterflies. But though they were mere insects, the numbers were in their favor, and soon six of them brought a struggling black cat and held him out for Le Papillon’s inspection. He could see the feline creature struggling to phase away, through the butterflies, but failing. “Your struggle is futile, my kwami friend. The butterflies are filled with the power that Nooroo, my kwami, grants me. You cannot escape from power so like your own.”

“Père! Stop this! _Père! PÈRE!_ No! _PLAGG!_ ”

Plagg…that must be the kwami’s name.

The desperation in his tone rose, as did his volume, with the fear and anxiety of being separated from his little _god_. Gabriel remembered days when he would have done the same, and he knew he would still do the same if his plan were threatened in that way. But he was not _Chat Noir_ , and so possessing the feline _hero_ ’s struggling kwami was of little consequence.

The betrayal and hurt on his son’s face was another matter, but he turned away.

“I gave you the choice, Adrien,” he said, his voice growing softer but colder. “You denied me. Now I just have to use Ladybug’s crush on you to bring her directly to me.”

“Y-you don’t know what y-you’re talking about!” Adrien fought against the butterflies that drew him from the door to the center of the room. Gabriel’s heart squeezed painfully at the green eyes that were wide with fear. The distrust was still shining from his eyes and it was all Gabriel could do to pull his eyes away from his son’s wide, pleading expression. “S-she won’t come! She’ll know it’s a t-trap! And you’re definitely mistaken—there’s no way Ladybug would like m-me!”

Oh, how little he truly knew.

If Adrien had seen the way the heroine had admired his portraits in the gallery as she so valiantly tried to _protect_ them, how could he have any doubts? And the way that she stumbled over her words, and the bumbling phrases that came out…she had to know Adrien.

Perhaps…perhaps Ladybug was even a classmate of Adrien’s.

“You weren’t present when we spoke of you,” Gabriel said slowly. If Adrien knew who Ladybug was behind the mask, it could be even better…he could go after her at her home, or at school, and her directly. She wouldn’t expect it. “It sounds like she knows you from more than your modelling…or your rooftop escapades.”

“That’s a lie!” the weak claim was shouted at Gabriel with such venom that it nearly took him aback. Why was it so hard for Adrien to believe that a girl would like him? Or was it just because it was…well, this wasn’t an ideal circumstance for a teenage boy to find out that a girl had a crush on him, Gabriel assumed. “She won’t fall for your trap! She’s smarter than that, she wouldn’t walk into it!”

_That’s where you’re wrong, my darling son._

“But she’ll believe that Chat Noir will come to back her up,” Gabriel twirled his staff and struck the marble floors with a sharp _clack_. “And a teenage girl who believes herself violently in love is prone to making rash decisions.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Story Title: Remorse  
> Chapter Title: Unwilling, Willing (or 'whether unwillingly or willingly').
> 
> I really like Latin titles, even if I have to do a lot of googling/searching to find one that isn't completely wrong. :D
> 
> So, note on moving forward: I still intend for this to be 3 chapters, so the final chapter may get a little long. By my current standards (cough cough TIKKI'S cough cough) this is still another incredibly short chapter, but I'm satisfied with it. And I love where it ended...;)

**Author's Note:**

> Story Title: "Remorse"  
> Chapter Title: "Beginning of the End"
> 
> Both are Latin. Both are translations I found on google translate and then searched for reassurance.  
> I hope you like this so far, and let me know what you think! The first chapter is short, but the others, when I have time, will be a little longer.


End file.
